A Brief History of Critics Being Kicked Out of Restaurants

Yesterday, New YorkMagazine restaurant critic Adam Platt tweeted a photo of the Japanese sardines at ZZ’s Clam Bar, along with the following caption: “Platty’s last dish at the enjoyable (though insanely pricey) ZZ’s Clam Bar before a very large bouncer kicks us out.” In an interview about the incident on Grub Street, Platt says he and his fellow diners did not misbehave, and his best guess is that this was retribution for his one-star Carbone review that was published back in April. “Carbone was the first one where I had a few questions—and clearly they didn’t like that,” says the restaurant critic.

The bouncer and restaurant manager did not let him pay the bill before he left. “This is the first time after, I’m guessing, a thousand professional dinners, that I’ve been booted,” Platt tells Grub Street.

Adam Platt being kicked out of ZZ’s Clam Bar got us thinking: What other critics have been booted from restaurants? Besides maybe Jay Rayner, restaurant critics aren’t known to wild out or get rowdy at the restaurants they are reviewing. But bad reviews and restaurant takedowns can instill a lot of hatred and malice from owners, so it’s no wonder there are some stories to be told about critics getting the boot.

Click through the gallery to see a brief history of restaurant critics being booted out of restaurants.